<p>To what extent will visiting a few colleges help me to decide where to go?
I am very confused here!</p>
<p>By visiting different kinds of colleges, you get an idea if you like smaller schools, urban, small town, etc. If at all possible, sit in on a class in a potential major. A lot of times, you simply don’t know what you don’t know and will begin to realize it as visit more schools. The first school that you think is great may not look so great after seeing the fifth or sixth school. If the school is in session, you can get a feel for the student body just by watching them cross the campus between classes. Start by just going to area colleges open house days. </p>
<p>If you already have a shorter list, you can do things like requesting a meeting with a professor or a student in a specific major. Look at their campus newspaper and class schedules. </p>
<p>Think about it like buying a car. Until you get into the car you won’t know that the ceiling is too high, the chair won’t adjust for you, takes too long too break, or that there is a support that create a blind spot when turn to look back. None of these have to be deal killers but you’re better off knowing about them.</p>
<p>If you are at the start of your college search process and don’t know what type of school you may like, it often helps to see a few different “types” of schools - maybe a large state school, a mid-size school, and a small LAC. You can also look at schools in different settings such as one in a city and one more rural. This can help to give you a sense of what type of school to focus in on. While going through this process, keep in mind that the school you ultimately choose will have to fall within a price range and a geographic area your family can manage.</p>
<p>Once your search becomes more focused and you are visiting schools you can get into and might want to attend, pay attentions to questions like do you feel like you will fit in with the other students? do you like the feel of the campus? does the school have the major/coursework you want? does it have activities you are interested in? do you like the location? what is the financial aid like (if that is an issue)? </p>
<p>Always try to visit a school when it is in session so you can get a real feel for the place.</p>
<p>Part of picking a school is finding a place where you feel happy and comfortable. If you have a chance to visit the schools, it is a very valuable use of time.</p>
<p>Thank you guys! But the thing is that i can just visit 5 colleges as im in India and i have planned a trip specifically to visit colleges, so is 5 enough or should i try to accomodate more? And should i only visit the universities where i have been accepted?</p>
<p>With a limitation like that, yes I would wait until you’re accepted and visit just those institutions. I would encourage you, though, to apply to a broad range of institutions.</p>
<p>^^^^^agreed. And just a thought — would it be useful to visit a few close by colleges/universities in India just to get a feel for what size/locations you may like in a college – or are they too different from US schools for it to be worthwhile (I don’t know)???</p>
<p>No! They are way too different!</p>
<p>So I guess i’ll go to all my EA acceptances(5) and skip the rest.</p>
<p>Can you wait until you get all of your acceptances before you make the trip? If not maybe pick the best few schools from the EA acceptances and also go to a couple of your top choices which you are still waiting to hear back from (that you feel you have a reasonable chance to get into). This way, if you get in you will know what they are like.</p>
<p>The decisions will come by that time, but i have to book the flights, hotels etc.</p>